10 Steps to BBC web success

Seetha Kumar, Controller of BBC Online, has published a list of 10 guidelines that should be used when creating, and maintaining, BBC sites in the future. The principles are there to encourage editors to see there project as part of a bigger picture, that engages the audience and doesn’t isolate them. It sounds too good to be true, but the 10 steps are pretty all encompassing.

Here is a rundown (paraphrased) of the list.

Website and products should be for a defined audience and need.

Do one thing and do it well.

Don’t repeat already existing content.

Make sure all pages are up to standard.

Accessibility is not an option.

Keep URLs simple and permanent.

Free up your content for consumers to take away (word for word, I don’t really get this one)

Don’t try and do everything. Linking is good too.

Designs don’t have to be rigid, but identifiable.

Personalisation should be elegant.

That’s my take on what the list is (except number 7!). Most of it seems like common sense, but in a site as big as the BBC, there is scope for getting lost and going your own way. The blog post is a good read with further explanations, and I guess we just have to wait and see whether these guidelines are followed.